The idea of branding started in the American West, when a rancher branded his cattle with his mark (brand image). Along with being a means of finding cattle that strayed from the herd, that mark was assurance to people who bought his cattle of a specific degree of quality. Some buyers paid more money for specific brands of cattle. So while all cattle ranchers sold cattle, some ranchers obtained a premium for their beef, and it was the brand that identified one head of cattle from another.
If you take apart the entire organization of Coca-Cola Co. and left only its brand name, management could rebuild the company within five years because they have such a powerful “brand.” However, if you remove that brand name, the company would probably die within five years. This is because over the course of the years, “Coca- Cola” has come to stand for everything about the company – the way the soft drink tastes, the way it’s delivered, the way it shows up on the retail shelf. It has become some- thing more than caramel water, and the mark placed on the soda contents is the consumers’ assurance that what’s inside is quality. But consumers buy the product from “distributors” (actually, a dealer distributor network).
A brand is the emotional source of an organization its very soul. People are guided and inspired by it, and that makes defining it extremely difficult, if not impossible. The only rule in figuring out brand in relationship to your distributorship is this – Beware of concise definitions. There are none because brands, like people, are complex.
A brand generates energy. In your distributorship, it’s all of your company’s actions – answering the phones, fulfilling orders, advertising, customer service calls, operations practices and employee interactions. Your brand is all that you do and do not do. You help define your brand by “opting out” of specific behaviors. When you decide to do or not do something a specific way, you send a message. That message contributes to the formulation of your brand in customers’ minds.
Just as you either know a person or you don’t, either you know a brand, or you don’t. Everything you think you know about a brand was created through your five senses, and you create what you want people to know about your brand through those same senses. People define themselves through their actions; your company creates its brand reputation through its actions.
Those judgments are made about companies because of behaviors or behavior patterns over time. You truly become what you do or don’t do. Customers who know you expect certain behaviors from you, and that becomes your “brand.” Others you don’t do business with are unfamiliar with your “brand.” They must learn about you. Therein lies the power of your brand – The more people understand what to expect from your business, the easier it is to do business.
Expectation of a behavior is really what branding is all about. When you deliver what is expected, you contribute to building a “good” brand; when you do not, you contribute to building a “bad” brand. Brands can be good or bad, and they change all the time.
A brand isn’t a logo or a letterhead; those are representations of something more than themselves. Take the word “Marlboro.” It conjures up a vision of a cowboy instead of a cigarette – it’s a representation of something other than the product. A brand is all of the communications around your company, and more. It’s behavior around how you conduct business, and behavior, as you know, is difficult to pin down. But pin it down you must if you are to have a good brand.
Your markets are changing almost daily. To compete success- fully, you must create a brand that is recognized, trusted and means quality to your customers. Your customers remain loyal to you not because you carry this or that manufacturer’s brands. They buy from you because you behave the way they want, expect and count on. It’s the company they buy – not the product. Customers come to you not only for products and services you provide, but for you. With every transaction you make, you create a brand image. You either reinforce your idea of who you are, or you harm it.
Being heard amid the roar of your competitor’s voices is a daunting task in today’s crowded marketplace. We find this to be shockingly true each time we read a magazine, watch the television, or surf the web. As a result, businesses are now seeking new and more effective ways of increasing brand awareness and more importantly, create brand loyalty. One of the most important tasks involved in ensuring a brand’s success, is to develop an effective branding strategy.
To successfully position your brand above your competitor’s continuing fight for your customers, you must develop a brand proposition that when conveyed in marketing and advertising campaigns, will provide an attractive, unique, and relevant message to current and potential customers. In addition, this proposition must be realized and consistently echoed by senior executives, customer support, R&D teams, marketing staff, sales staff, and strategic partners.
